1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to adapters for lighting fixtures and, more specifically, to a power level adapter allowing use of a low power light bulb in a fixture having a socket designed to receive high power light bulbs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous light bulb socket adapters which allow for the installation of candelabra or low power type light bulbs have been provided in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos, 1,172,953; 1,640,434; 4,936,789 and 5,320,548 all are illustrative of such prior art. While these light bulb adapters may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. It is thus desirable to provide a light bulb adapter having its electrically conductive contacts at a base thereof for mating with the electrically conductive contacts of the socket in which it is placed. It is further desirable to provide a light bulb adapter having a nonconductive external material including a collar for easily and safely installing and positioning the light bulb adapter in the proper position.
This invention relates to adapters for enabling an electric lamp or the like to be operated at its rated or any desired voltage in a socket or receptacle between whose terminals some different voltage prevails. This device combines in a simple, compact, convenient, unitary structure a base or plug device or element for the aforesaid socket; a socket or receptacle for the lamp and means such as a transformer for producing the desired voltage between the terminals or contacts of said latter socket.
The present invention relates to holders for incandescent electric lamps and more especially to devices for adapting holders designed to receive and function with one type of lamp base to the reception and operation with lamps having a different type of base and commercially known as socket adapters. This invention provides a socket adapter whereby a lamp with an Edison type of base may be readily connected in operative relation to a standard Edison socket, which shall be strong, compact and of low manufacturing cost and which will insure accurate positioning of the lamp relative to the socket.
An adapter includes a threaded portion intended to be screwed into a conventional lamp socket to replace a standard incandescent light bulb. The adapter includes spring clips that are operative to prevent removal of terminal pins on the base of a fluorescent lamp. A table lamp in which the adapter is installed is connected through a male polarized electrical plug to a remote power supply. The power supply is plugged into a conventional AC wall outlet. A tamper-proof fastener attaches the power supply to the outlet, preventing it from being removed by a user who does not have access to a special driver required to turn the fastener. Spring clips within the power supply prevent removal of the male plug, so that the table lamp cannot be stolen without cutting the power cord.
To permit use of a compact fluorescent lamp having a base with projecting terminal pins in an ordinary standard Edison light bulb socket, an adapter has a light bulb thread and the housing body includes a reception well to receive a locating plate or plug from the lamp. To relieve stresses and strains on reception terminals which are electrically connected to a printed circuit board within the adapter body, the reception terminals, and preferably the connecting lugs thereof, are formed with openings which are engaged by matching projections formed on the housing body, and preferably by projections extending from the wall defining the well which receives the locating plate or lug of the lamp. This avoids bending, and hence damage to the printed circuit board upon insertion of the lamp pins in the spring contact portions of the reception terminals since assembly stresses are accepted by the housing body and not by the printed circuit board.